Mcbride



lignite-h gratta" `gateat @fitta Laim Batam No. $75,559, (anatra-@h 17, 186s;

, IMPBOVEMENTIN' ifiicsmnroa DRESSING rLAX,

fdlgttrhnlr nitriet in in tiges lfrttets tant mit' ranting peut nf tigt samt.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAYQGONCERN: V

Bc it known that I, W'XLLIAM C. llcBRIDE, of Somerville, in the county oi' Somerset, and State of Nen Jersey, have invented `a new and improved Machine for Dressing Fla-x; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,k clear, and exact description thereof', which vwill enable others skilled in the 'art to make and use the same, reference being had `to the accompanying'drawings, forming partrof this'specification, in which--` Figure 1, sheet 1, represents a plan or top view, partly inv section, of vmy improved liek-dressing machine.

Ylfhgure 2, sheet l, is a longitudinal vertical section of thas-ame, the plane of section being indicated'by the lino w si", iig. 1. v u i Figureei, sheet 2,'Yis a vertical transversesection of the same, the plane of section'being indicated by the line y y', iig. 1 i l vFigure lhis a detail side viewof a beater.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondingv parts.

` This invention'relates to certain improvementson the fiax=dres`sing machine for which Letters Patent, No.

22,738, were granted me on the twenty-i'thday of January,'1859.

The invention consists in a'. novel arrangement` and construction of the beaters, which are so made that they will thoroughly beat and'dress thatend'of the flax completely which is exposed to their action.

The inventiou alsoconsistsin thefar'rangementof various devices for straightening the'vfibre and `for holding it in proper position while it `is' fed tothe beaters, andai'ter it has been dressed; and in the device for taking the finished flax o'the ropes, and for depositing Yit upon a. table.

.By theseimprovements, the machineisso 'perfected that a continuous supply of fiax can be fed to it, and its consequenteliiciency isfthereby greatly increased.'

@A 'represents the framework ofthe machine, made of suitable material, of siiihcient strength to support and hold`tl1e various shafts and other devices forming part of this machine. B represents the nain driving-shaft,

conveying motion by means of a belt, a, to a horizontal shaft, 0, on 4which a screw-thread is formed, as shown in iig. 1. From thelworm @inet-ion is transferred to a gear-wheeht, on a; verticalshafgl), the gear-wheel meshing into another gear-wheel, b', on a vertical shaft, D', as shoivn. The -shaftsD and Dcarrythe grooved wheels E and' El, respectively, the said wheels constituting, in combination with the cords or ropes and F', the feeding-device o'fl'this machine. The feeding-mechanism has been fully described in the aforesaid Letters Patent, and docs not'iorrn part of the *presentinvention.v Each wheelfE and E', is arranged with its scutchi'n'g-l chamber, 4in which the beaters are arranged. Y l

-These beaters, G G, are fully shown in'igs.'..1,`3, and 4. They aremounted on horizontal axlcs,H YH,

Y which are "rotatedby suitableappar'atus. Two beaters are arranged in each-scutching-,chamber, and are revolved in opposite directions to eachother, Vas indicated by arrows in fg. 3; Each beater has a. cross-section of peculiar` form, as shown in iig'. 3. .'lvvo opposite sides ofeach beater are straight, or nearly so, 4as shown,

and are connected by curved sides, which are vconvex in the middle andconcave at the edges,-as shown. Four j projectingv beating 'edges arethus formed, 4as shown', and the ax, which lis held on the feed-wheel by means .of the rope, is'constantly acted upon between t-vy'o of these beating edges. As the lower beatenrevolvesfits straight'side will form a. table to support the en'd of theax,whi le,'when the lattergr'ests in the concave portion Vof the lower heater, it will be exposed tothe action'of the upper beater. Thus the iiax i's constantly held i between `the beaters, as long*l as it is within reach of'the same.` -pon the straight faceof eachbeatcr are. arrangedynpon `that end of the same-which does the last partof the work, a'series of roundcdvteeth, c c, as shown in tigs.- 1,V Sfand 4,saidtethbeingof semi-oval shape, and set in an inclined position, -as shownin fig,`

4. By means of these teeth the flax vis still more thoroughlyscutched without being tor-n or'broklen.

1t w'ill besee that means of this lconstruction of beaters Vtheneceasity citl using shields andstccks, as described 'in theaforesaid Letters Patent, -is 'dispensed with.A

The fla-x to bes'cutchegl is.put into the machine by inserting iti'betivecm;v the rope F and*l the periphery of the wheel E', at d in tig.. 1.l The ropes F: and F- are represented in the' drawing by blue and brown lines respectively,so that they cau'be easily distinguished frein' cach other. An attendant placesthe flax in bunches of suitable size into the machine, so that it may be grasped near to the upper end of the bunch by thc rope 1*", to be suspended in, thc manner indicated in fig. 2.

I is a wheel, having projecting teeth or arms on its periphery, and being rotated by means of the rope l1", as shown in fig. l. The wheel I is arranged for the purp'os'c ot' holding one bunch of flax until the next presented to the machine, and thus the attendant is enabled to feed the machine with a continuous supply. By the revolution ofthe holding-wheel E', the flaxI is carried to the first seutelling-chamber.Y The upper end of the bunches of` flax would hang wildly, some on the disk E', some over the rope F, and would become entangledl with the suspended portions ot' the flax, unlessthey are brought inte a certain desired position. For this purpose an oblique arm, e, is arranged on' the stationary framework, so as to stand inclined above the rope F and the periphery ofthe wheel E', as shown infig. 2. 'llxevupper ends of the bunches will, by means of this guard, e, be turned over` and brought upon the disk E', asfshown, where they willremain as long as they are helduvt-o the said wheel E. The suspended end'of the flax is now brought between the beaters G G of the firstscutchingchamber, which are revolved with equal velocity in opposite directions. Each ofv these beaters may be provided at the beating edges with scutching-blademof which two would bev used on each beater. The heaters are arranged far enough apart that they may overlap each other 'while revolving, each meshingl betweentwo edges of the other beater, of which one is a. beating, the other a followingedge. The flax 'will thus vhave a limited space to-be acted upon, and will be struck alternately by thelower and bythe upper beater, being thus scntched on both sides, and being continually held up to the blow. When the flax arrives at the centre of the searching chamber, it will come in contact with the teeth or combs c, which will gently tighten the flax, and thereby make the blows more effective; also, opening the fibres without injuring or tearing the material.v When the flax comes out of the first scutching-chamber, the lower dressed end is submitted tothe action of a revolving eomb,j`, which smooths the fibres, and enables them to pass easily'through a `slot in an upright plate, y, which is arranged in its passa-gel 'as shown in figs. 1 and'Qu The upper undressed end of the flax does, at this place, stilll rest upon the disk lu until the cord F leaves the grooves of the wh-eel,.when the wheel looses the hold on the dressed end of the flax, which hangs over one sideofthe rope. In this position the scutched end is presented to the rope and wheel E, by which itis being grasped, while the undressed end is depositednpon a transfer-table, L. By the wheel E andcord F ,the flan is'brought to the second seutehing-chamber, in which' its undressed end is. scutched between beaters' inthe same manner" as above described. y v

The wheel E is arranged higher than the wheel E, so that the flax may in one chamber be scutched downward, in the second chamber upward, as shown in fig. 3. Thus the whole length of the ax is presented to the action ofthe beaters. In the second scutching-ehamber is arranged :xi-partition, t', which keeps the two ends of the flax separated, as shown in fig. 3. From thesecond scutching-chamber the flax, after it has been combed by a. revolving comb, f', is carried off` on the rope F, its two ends being suspended from the-two sides of the rope, as the same leaves the wheel E. A curved plate, j, under the rope F, following the course of lthe same from the second scutching-ehamber, acts as a guide and support ofthe flax, thus suspended, and to keepthe ends apart. By a deflecting-roller, K, the course of the rope F is changed, and the flax is brought under 'a revolving toothed disk, J, which is arranged above the rope F on a horizontal shaft, and which takes the flax oftthe rope F and deposits it upon a table,`L, whence it can be removed by the attendant. The cords F F pass around suspended tension-rollers in the. same mannerI as has been described in my aforesaid Letters Patent.

Having thusv described my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The toothed wheels I, incombination with the revolving disk E an'd feeding-rope FA', all constructed, arranged, and operating as herein shown and described. 'I 2. AThe arrangement of' the oblique finger above the carrying-disk E and cord F', for the purpose of depositing the upper end of the libreupon the surface of the disk, substantially as set forth.

3. The beaters G G, constructed as described, having two opposite straight sides and two curved sides, convex in the-centre and concave at the edges, all arranged and operating as described, for-the purpose specified.

4. .Providing thestraight-sidesef the beaters G G with oblique rounded teeth, c c, as herein described, for the purpose specied. l l

v5. The revolving comb-wheels f and f', arranged so as to straighten .the fibres after they are discharged from the s'cutching-chamber, substantially as and for the purpose/herein shown and described.

6. lThe toothed disk J,- w'hen arranged as described,`for'thc purpose of' taking'the `dressed flax from the rope F, and depositing .the same upon the table L, as set forth.

WILLIAM C. McBRIDE.

y Witnesses:

WM. F..MeNAMAnA, ALEX. F. Renners. 

